Values for binding of ATP and ADP to myosin B and ATP to myosin A were determined from mixtures of these nucleotides and proteins by use of rapid filtration to separate bound and unbound nucleotides and by use of an ATP-regenerating system (creatine phosphate-creatine phosphokinase). Calculation of the binding curves of ATP to lo5 g of myosin B by the mass law binding expression using two sets of binding sites, n, and n2, and with binding constants, k1 = 40 x lo3 and k2 = 1.5 x lo3 I/mole, respectively, yielded a curve of good fit to the experimentally determined points when n, = 0.4 and n, = 1.2 moles per lo5 g. Similar calculation of data from binding of ATP to myosin A yielded a curve of best fit when n1 = 0.5 and n, = 3.0 per lo5 g with k, = 5,500 and k, = 550 l/mole. At 1 mM ATP, myosin A bound 50 more than myosin B. ADP a t 1 mM appeared to saturate myosin B about 970/,. The amounts of ADP bound to myosin B fitted a curvc with one value of n which equaled 0.36. We have measured the binding of ATP to myosinB and myosinA in a more direct manner than the above workers, except possibly for Chaplain [9], and at concentrations as high as 1 mM. The amounts bound were considered t o be equal to the decrease in concentration of ATP when ATP was rapidly mixed with precipitated myosin and the free ATP immediately separated by filtration. An enzymatic rephosphorylating system (creatine phosphate pZus creatine phosphokinase) regenerated ATP from ADP. A limited number of experiments was conducted in the presence of 1 mM MgCI, or 1 mM CaCI,.
MATERIALS AND METHODSMyosin B was prepared essentially according to Szent-Gyorgyi [lo] by extraction of ground rabbit muscle with alkaline 0.6 M KC1 for 20 hours a t 4", followed by dilution of the proteins and filtration twice through cheesecloth. It was precipitated three